Dyeing your hair is a fun and easy way to express yourself. What isn’t fun is cleaning up the mess afterward. If you’ve dyed your hair a few times, then you are probably familiar with the distress of staining your fabric or carpet with permanent hair dye.
Hair dye is notoriously difficult to remove. Its very purpose and chemical makeup ensure that it leaves a permanent color behind. However, there is no reason to distress as there are quite a few ways to remove hair dye stains and restore your carpet to good as new. This article serves as your ultimate and thorough guide to get hair dye out of carpet.
Supplies Needed to Get Hair Dye off Carpet
Before tackling that stain, it is essential to gather all the necessary supplies needed for each step of the process. The first step to removing the stain is cleaning the messing and carefully removing the excess dye. To do this, you will need:
- Rags, cloths or paper towels
- Spatula, spoon, or dulled knife
- Vacuum
It is important to note that you should opt to use towels, rags, or cloths that you don’t mind discarding or staining permanently. In the removal options below, the rags will serve as a way to absorb the stain from the carpet, meaning they will become stained themselves. It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove the dye from your rags. Therefore, if you don’t have any rags or towels that you don’t mind disposing of or permanently marking, you should use paper towels instead.
After all the excess has been cleaned up, it is time to tackle that stain. Luckily, there are numerous methods to choose from, and most of them utilize everyday cleaning products that you probably already have in your home. The exact supplies you need will depend on the method you choose. All the cleaning ingredients mentioned in this article that can help remove your stain include:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Colorless dish soap or cleaning detergent
- Rubbing alcohol
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Ammonia
- Hairspray
- Toothbrush
- A bowl for mixing solutions
- Towels, rags, or paper towels
If you have a steam cleaner available, you should also keep that handy. It can help with the final clean-up and restore your carpet to good as new.
Cleaning The Mess
Though every mess should be cleaned up immediately, this is even more crucial when spilling hair dye. Due to its very nature and purpose, hair dye is meant to leave behind a permanent coloring. It can easily infuse into your carpet’s fibers and will become increasingly stubborn to remove the longer it remains. By cleaning the mess quickly, you are less likely to leave behind a nasty permanent stain on your carpet. Here are the steps to clean up the mess.
- Get a clean cloth or paper towels and dab up the excess liquid and dye. Do not rub or scrub the carpet, as this will only set the hair dye further into carpet fibers.
- Once the excess has been removed, continue to blot the stain with paper towels or a cloth to absorb as much of the dye as possible.
- Once your paper towels or cloths no longer pick up any more color, you have gotten as much excess dye from the carpet as possible. Move onto the stain removing step.
What To Do About Dried Hair Dye Stains
Life happens, and we don’t always catch spills in time, nor do we have the time to clean them up thoroughly. Though hopefully, you are vigilant when dyeing your hair, there may still be times when you don’t find a hair dye stain until days later.
An old, dried hair dye stain on your carpet will be more difficult to remove than a fresh stain. However, it isn’t impossible and doesn’t require too many extra steps.
The first thing you need to do is remove as much dried excess dye as possible. Here are some suggested steps on how to do this:
- Use a spatula, spoon, or dull knife to remove the solid pieces of hair dye from the carpet.
- Vacuum the area to pick up any remaining particles.
After this, the process of removing the dried stain is the same as if you were removing a fresh stain. However, since the stain has dried up, it will need to be moistened to react with your chosen cleaning agents. Depending on the cleaning method you choose, the solutions you mix up will do this naturally. Still, you may want to consider pre-moistening the area just in case.
Furthermore, you may need to let solutions set in your carpet a bit longer to react with the dried stain. You may also need to repeat the cleaning processes a few times before all the dye has been cleaned up. In other words, you may need to be more patient when dealing with a hair dye stain that has set into the carpet and dried up.
Removing The Stain
Now that you have removed the excess dye, it’s time to tackle the stain. There are many methods available, and most include simple everyday items that are already in your home or are easy to find at the grocery store. Read on to see how these everyday items can help you remove hair dye from your carpet.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a handy little cleaning agent that can be used for almost everything around the house. It can absorb wet spills with ease, and its chemical composition helps to dissolve organic compounds. This makes baking soda not only a great option to clean grease and oil spills in your kitchen but also to remove stains from your carpet as well.
The best way to use baking soda to clean up hair dye is by mixing it into a liquid cleaning detergent to make a paste. Below are the steps to do just that.
- Mix some baking soda with a liquid cleaning detergent together in a bowl. There is no recommended ratio; just make sure the final product is a paste, and the detergent is colorless.
- Alternatively, you can apply some cleaning detergent directly to the stain and sprinkle baking soda over it. You will still need to mix it to create a paste.
- Take a clean toothbrush and scrub the paste all over the stain.
- Rinse the area with cold water to wash away the paste and the hair dye.
- With a dry, clean cloth, dab the area to remove all moisture.
- Repeat if necessary, but allow the carpet to dry in between rounds.
One thing to note is that baking soda may be too abrasive for your carpet. Though using baking soda to make a cleaning paste reduces the abrasiveness, you may still need to be cautious depending on the type of carpet you have. If you are concerned about baking soda ruining your carpet, try one of the other below methods instead.
Dish Soap
Dish soap is exceptionally versatile and can easily tackle carpet stains. Using dish soap to remove hair dye stains is fairly easy and only requires a few simple steps:
- Squirt dish soap onto the stain directly and make sure the entire area is covered.
- Leave the dish soap on your carpet for 10 to 15 minutes to ensure it interacts thoroughly with the hair dye.
- Rinse the area with water and blot dry the stain.
- Repeat if the stain is not entirely removed the first time.
It is important to note that it is best to use clear, colorless dish soap when utilizing this method. If you use soap that is colored, such as blue or green, you may accidentally create another stain, especially if the carpet is light-colored or white. Colorless dish soap will clean up your hair dye stain without adding another stain in the process.
Rubbing Alcohol
You can also use household rubbing alcohol to remove your hair dye stain. Rubbing alcohol is a degreasing agent that is prepared to tackle the worst stains. It helps to break down the components of difficult stains (such as those made by hair dye) to make them easier to lift up and remove.
To use household rubbing alcohol to remove your stain, follow the below steps:
- Pour 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol onto the stain (you can use more if the stain is large).
- Leave the alcohol on the stain for a few minutes to allow it to interact with the hair dye.
- Take some paper towels or a cloth to dab up the solution.
- Repeat these steps until the stain is fully removed.
Ammonia
Ammonia is a powerful cleaning agent that can help remove all sorts of stains from your carpet. If you have a particularly stubborn stain that has not reacted to the previous methods, then ammonia may do the trick.
However, please be careful when working with ammonia. Ammonia is an irritating and corrosive substance, so it can cause significant harm if not diluted or used with protective wear. Direct contact with the skin or eyes can cause burns or permanent eye damage. Therefore, it is crucial that you wear gloves, protective eyewear, and other safety gear to prevent direct contact with this substance.
Furthermore, you should also air out your home (especially the room you will be cleaning) to avoid inhaling the fumes. The fumes can irritate the nasal passages, throat, and respiratory tract. High concentrations can result in respiratory distress and failure. Therefore, you should never use ammonia in small, enclosed spaces.
In addition to these safety concerns, you should also know that ammonia is not suitable for all types of carpets. For example, it can cause irreversible damage to wool, so you should opt for another stain removal method if you have a wool carpet.
To successfully remove hair dye using ammonia, follow the steps below:
- Mix 2 cups of warm water with 1 tablespoon of ammonia.
- Dip a clean cloth into the solution and blot the stain.
- Once you have blotted ammonia on the entire area, leave the solution for 30 minutes.
- Take another clean cloth and dab the area to absorb the solution and the hair dye.
- Repeat as needed until the stain is gone.
You can add some dish soap to the mix for some extra cleaning power. Just add 1 tablespoon of dish soap to the solution and follow the same steps.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is another miracle stain remover that doesn’t cost much at the grocery store or pharmacy. However, it is a bleaching agent, so this option is best for white or lighter-colored carpets.
For optimal results, you will want to buy a bottle with a 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide, as higher concentrations can be harmful or damage your carpet. Luckily, this is the most common concentration you will find on store shelves.
For this method to work, do the following:
- Mix 3 tablespoons of lukewarm water with 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide.
- Dip a cloth into the solution and dab the stain.
- Cover the area with a thick towel so that incoming light does not interact with the solution. Hydrogen peroxide becomes chemically ineffective when exposed to light.
- Leave the solution for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Check the stain every few minutes to ensure the color of the carpet is not changing. If it is, then immediately rinse the solution with water to prevent further bleaching.
- Once you see the stain fading, dab the spot with water to remove the solution.
Dish Soap, Vinegar, And Alcohol Mix
Sometimes just one product isn’t enough to get your hair dye stain out of your carpet. With this method, you will combine three powerful household ingredients to tackle your hair dye stain. This concoction is a powerful stain removal solution with a high success rate, especially when removing brown or black hair dye stains.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of colorless liquid dish soap, and 2 cups of water.
- Take a clean cloth and dip it into the solution.
- Press the cloth gently onto the stain. Do this enough to ensure the solution seeps deeply into the carpet fibers.
- Take a separate cloth to blot dry the area. This should absorb both the solution and the stain.
- Rinse the carpet with cold water and either let it air dry or soak it up with a cloth, towel, or sponge.
- If the stain is still visible, then blot it again, this time with rubbing alcohol instead of the solution.
- Repeat the above steps as necessary.
- Rinse your carpet again with cold water and dry the area.
Hairspray
Though this may sound counterproductive, you may be able to remove hair dye stains with hairspray. That’s because hairspray has an alcohol base that can break up the coloring and prevent hair dye from further seeping into your carpet’s fibers. You can add an astringent (such as rubbing alcohol) to the method for even better results.
Here are the necessary steps to remove hair dye from your carpet with hairspray:
- Spray a bit of your hairspray directly onto the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Rinse the area with cold water.
- Put some astringent on the area and leave it for another 5 minutes.
- Take a clean cloth and dab the stain.
- Rinse your carpet with cold water and then dry the area.
Other Option to Get Hair Dye Out of Carpet
If all else fails, you may need to resort to a more professional or stronger method. Though utilizing household items is convenient and cheap, sometimes they aren’t enough to remove tough stains.
One method that may help is thoroughly cleaning and shampooing your carpet with a carpet cleaner. Carpet cleaners and their accompanying shampoo products are specifically designed to tackle difficult stains such as hair dye. Therefore, if you have a carpet cleaner or can easily rent one, you might opt for this method rather than trying household cleaners.
Furthermore, you may also want to buy a stain removal spray that can be found at any grocery store. Just make sure to read the label before using it, as some stain removers have a bleaching effect.
Finally, if nothing else seems to work and the stain is particularly bad, you may need to call a professional. They will know exactly how to remove the stain without causing any further damage to your carpet.
A Few Words Of Caution
As with any cleaning process, there are some cautions to consider. Cleaning products are chemicals and therefore come with some warning to prevent danger or further damage. Keeping these in mind will ensure you remove your stain without harming yourself or further damaging your carpet.
Be Cautious With Mixing Cleaning Products
Hair dye stains can be very stubborn, so you may be tempted to try more than one cleaning method. This is perfectly fine as long as you do it cautiously. Just because two products used separately can remove stains doesn’t mean that it is safe to combine them.
Mixing chemicals can have dangerous consequences, such as developing toxic gases or resulting in explosions. Though the mixtures suggested in this article should be safe, if you are going to try multiple methods to remove your stain, please research if it is safe to do so. Combining some of the methods above could be dangerous, so it is essential to do some research beforehand.
For example, mixing hydrogen peroxide and vinegar can create peracetic acid, which can cause significant harm to the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Therefore, if the vinegar solution fails to work and you plan to switch to the hydrogen peroxide method next, you will need to thoroughly clean the area to prevent creating peracetic acid.
Dilute Appropriately
You should always dilute your cleaning agents appropriately before using them to remove carpet stains. Highly concentrated cleaning products may not only permanently damage your carpet but can be dangerous for you as well. Follow the dilution instructions listed in each method, or read the label of your cleaning agent for more information and guidance.
Wear Protective Gear
Some products are still dangerous to work with even after diluting them. This is particularly the case with ammonia, which is highly corrosive and irritating.
Therefore, when working with strong cleaning products and chemicals, it is strongly advised that you wear proper protective gear to prevent harming yourself in the process. A set of gloves, eye protection, and clothes that cover your body will ensure you are protected in case of direct contact or accidental spills.
Don’t Scrub Your Carpet
During any point of the cleaning process, aim to dab the stain, not scrub. Scrubbing will further push the dye into the carpet and encourage the fibers to absorb it more.
Furthermore, scrubbing may spread the dye around, creating a much larger stain. This will make it extremely difficult to remove the stain, no matter which method you choose.
Also, when dabbing the stain with water or any solution, you should aim to start at the edges and work inward. This pushes the dye towards the center of the stain and prevents accidentally making it much larger.
Test Before Using Certain Products On Your Carpet
If you are unsure how a cleaning product will react with your carpet, then you should test it in an inconspicuous area before using it to remove your stain. This is especially important for dark-colored carpets, as many household cleaners (such as hydrogen peroxide) and stain removers have bleaching properties. Therefore, do your research, test your products, and read warning labels before using any cleaning product on your carpet.
Conclusion
Dyeing your hair can be loads of fun, but the experience can be ruined if you have a stubborn stain to deal with. Luckily, many household cleaners can break down hair dye in your carpet and remove it with ease. With some patience and persistence, you can remove that unsightly hair dye stain, restore your carpet to normal, and continue to dye your hair without any worries or distress.